Scalable and Quantum-Resistant Authentication for the Blockchain of Medical Things

Abstract: The rapid proliferation of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has revolutionized remote patient monitoring but introduces severe data privacy and security challenges. Integrating Blockchain technology (BIoMT) provides immutable auditing, yet classical cryptographic signatures (e.g., RSA, ECC) are highly vulnerable to the looming threat of quantum computing via Shor’s algorithm. Furthermore, storing individual digital signatures on a distributed ledger incurs massive storage overhead, limiting scalability. This paper proposes a Post-Quantum Aggregate Blind Signature (PQ-ABS) framework tailored for BIoMT. Our architecture leverages Module Learning With Errors (Module-LWE) to guarantee quantum-resistant security. To ensure patient privacy, we employ blind signatures that allow medical authorities to authenticate health data without exposing the plaintext payload. Signatures from multiple sources are mathematically aggregated into a single, constant-size proof. We validate the architecture by deploying the verification logic within a Hyperledger Fabric smart contract. Furthermore, we extend base security models by formalizing PQ-ABS in the Random Oracle Model and analyzing its resistance against Grover’s quantum search algorithm.

Keywords: Post-Quantum Cryptography, Internet of Medical Things, Blockchain, Hyperledger Fabric, Blind Signatures, Aggregate Signatures, Module-LWE